Ukraine will not accept any "recognition" of occupation of its territory. These are our "red lines," - OP
Ukraine will not recognise Russia's occupation of any territories and will not agree to any changes to the Constitution as part of a potential "peace plan".
This was stated in an interview with "Radio Liberty" by Oleksandr Bevz, an adviser to the head of the President's Office, according to Censor.NET.
Ukraine's red lines in negotiations
According to him, Ukraine will not accept any recognition of the occupied territories as Russian.
"Ukraine has repeatedly said that there can be no changes to the Constitution or any fixes, no recognition of the occupation. These are the red lines that the Ukrainian people have drawn. This is precisely the minefield, and if it is included in the agreement or any other document, the legitimacy of that document will be immediately undermined. Because it will not be accepted, in particular, by the most important subjects themselves –– Ukrainian defenders. Therefore, accordingly, this is impossible," Bevz emphasised.
The representative of the OP stated that the territorial issue remains the most difficult and is still (remains - ed.) under discussion.
Discussions on the "peace plan" with the US
Bevz explained that the task at the negotiations is to convince all representatives of the American delegation with whom the Ukrainian side is working that the final plan must lead to lasting peace. Sensitive issues regarding territories will be discussed at the leadership level.
Bevz called for extreme caution in using terms such as "territorial swap," or "withdrawal from certain territories," or "concessions on territorial issues."
"Because this immediately creates the impression that Ukraine has to give up something that Russia has not yet conquered by military means. The Ukrainian delegation's position is very clear on several points, one of which is that the final decisions on territories will be made exclusively by the President at the leadership level. No one else has ever been authorised to agree on anything in this most sensitive issue for Ukrainian society," he explained.
The US peace plan
- On Sunday, 23 November, negotiations between the Ukrainian and US delegations began in Geneva on a peace plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
- Earlier it was reported that the Ukrainian delegation had already held meetings with EU advisers in Geneva.
- Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the first results of the negotiations taking place in Geneva with the participation of delegations from the US, Ukraine, the EU and the UK on the American plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
- NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov reported that the current version of the US peace plan to end Russia's war against Ukraine is in the final stages of approval and already reflects most of Ukraine's key priorities.
- Following the talks in Geneva on Sunday, 23 November, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the Washington team would make "some changes" to the American peace plan.
- The new US peace plan to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian war has been reduced from 28 points to 19.
- On 25 November, Trump sent his special envoy Steve Witkoff to Moscow to meet with Putin. He instructed his other special envoy, Dan Driscoll, to hold talks with Ukraine in Kyiv.
